Stepparents: The Legally Invisible Parents

By Julie Garrison Special to DadsDivorce.com With one out of every two marriages ending in divorce, statistics indicate both divorced partners will probably remarry at least once. Even though a stepparent may participate in all aspects of raising his stepchild, the “unofficial” parenting by a stepparent is rarely factored into …

Discrimination Against Stepparents

By Julie Garrison Special to DadsDivorce.com The law works to protect marriage and nuclear or traditional families. Stepfamilies, however, are considered incomplete institutions to be ignored and as stigmatized groups, less functional and more problematic than nuclear families. The “progress” made in expanding the stepparent’s role is primarily geared toward …

Can stepparents provide insurance for stepchildren?

Question: I am the stepmom of two children. My insurance is cheaper and much better than the children’s father/my husband. He is ordered to provide health, dental, and vision insurance on the children. Can I carry the insurance on the children even though he is the one court ordered to …

Getting a divorce during the adoption process

Question: I am in the process of adopting my wife’s child since the child’s biological father is terminating his parental rights. However, my wife now wants to divorce me. The adoption paperwork has not gone to the judge yet. Will this adoption still go through even though we are now …

How do stepparent adoptions work?

Question: It was recently determined that I am the biological father of a child I have never met. At that time, I was also ordered to pay back child support from the time the child was born until now. The child’s stepfather wants to adopt him, which is fine with …

Divorce During Adoption

By Jill A. Duffy Attorney, Cordell & Cordell Divorce during adoption does not have to end the adoption, but it can be an obstacle that needs careful planning and handling. There are several types of adoption, and how a divorce effects the adoption will depend on the rights of the …

Do stepparents have an obligation to support children from outside the marriage?

Question: My ex-wife has is remarried to a very wealthy new spouse so she has decided to stop working. I pay child support to her, which she is wanting to substantially increase despite her being financially well off. I understand that her income from work can be imputed for child …

Can you adopt stepchildren?

Question: My ex-husband is not the biological father but he is the only father my child knows. There is no father listed on the birth certificate. Is my ex-husband allowed to adopt my son?

Can my new wife exercise my right of first refusal on my behalf?

Question: I am under the impression that once I got remarried, my new wife would have the same parenting time rights that I do in terms of right of first refusal. I know that when it is my parenting time, I can leave my daughter in my current wife’s care …

Can I keep someone from badmouthing me on social networks during the divorce?

Cordell & Cordell attorney Andrea Miller

Question: I am currently going through a divorce with my wife. I have two children of my own and adopted her two children from a previous marriage. The stepchildren I have adopted are now writing nasty things about me on social networks, like Facebook and Twitter. My question is what …